The ethical drinker: Let’s talk about bees

Bees may not pollinate vines, but they still play a role in vineyard health.Irrational fears aside, bees are an important part of any ecosystem, including vineyards. I spoke to beekeepers and vineyard owners to find out why.
‘There isn’t a direct link between the vine and the bee,’ says Victorine Fraisse of Domaine de Villeneuve in Pic St-Loup, north of Montpellier in Languedoc. Her father has been a beekeeper since 1989 and the estate has about 1,000 bee hives. In fact, Vitis